


Gifts

by swampthot



Series: Charbitch Cinematic Universe [3]
Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: M/M, Making Out, Serenading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 05:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swampthot/pseuds/swampthot
Summary: Prompt fill from tumblr: "I was trying to be romantic, asshole."Charlie sings a little something for the scientist.





	Gifts

As the scientist closed the door of his apartment, relieved to finally be home, he was treated to a most unusual sight.

Charlie was sat on his couch, tip of his nose silver from (the scientist felt his stomach heave a little) spray paint, and he was staring intently at the keyboard of an electric piano balanced in his lap.

“Charlie?” he asked, bemused.

Charlie abruptly stood up, knocking the Casio to the floor with a crash. “Hi- Hi, dude, hi,” he stammered. “I was just.”

“It’s perfectly fine that you’re here, love,” the scientist said with a gentle laugh. “I gave you a key.”

Charlie smiled awkwardly but said nothing.

The scientist strode forward and reached down to pick up the keyboard from the floor at the exact same moment as Charlie, brushing hands with him and still feeling that little pop of electricity. The scientist cradled the keyboard for a second before handing it to Charlie.

“I didn’t know you could play,” he said warmly. “What were you playing before I interrupted you?” Charlie wasn’t meeting his eyes, which was a shame. He missed getting lost in the tidal pools.

“I was like-” Charlie hesitated. “I was working on something.”

“Can I hear it?” the scientist asked, attempting to suppress his excitement.

Charlie looked at the keyboard in his hands. “I’d be worried you’d think it was stupid.” The scientist noted that he was antsily shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Why would I think anything you do is stupid?” The question made Charlie look him in the eyes for the first time that day, utterly taken aback, lips curving up into a startled smile.

The scientist traced his thumb over Charlie’s. “I would love to hear it,” he said sincerely.

Charlie sat down on the sofa with a small smile. “I- Wow, this is embarrassing, but the thing I was writing was kinda for you.”

The scientist blushed, like fully blushed, and sat down next to him. “Darling, that is so sweet of you.” His voice was heavy with adoration and love.

Charlie grinned at him, and then hit a high C, hummed along to it, and began, with surprisingly elevated skill, to play a soft repeating tune on the keyboard.

The scientist just stared at him, enamored. The way Charlie’s eyes scrunched up just a little when he was concentrating, the ease with which he played, how surprisingly heavenly his humming sounded, was almost overwhelming for the scientist.

And then Charlie sang, “You run around in my head/like a rat,” and the scientist burst into a fit of giggles. He couldn’t help it: the lyrics were the opposite of what he was expecting and the moment had just struck him as so absurdly funny.

Charlie stopped playing and frowned, looking down at the keyboard. “You hate it.”

The scientist’s heart froze momentarily, and he leaned towards Charlie. “No, no no,” he said quickly. “I am so sorry, dearest, truly. The tune was beautiful and you have such a pretty voice, I was just-”

“What is it?”

“I was,” the scientist said hesitantly, carefully. “I was not prepared for rats as a major theme in the ballad you were composing.”

Charlie looked up then, and to the scientist’s relief, he smiled- how he loved that smile, like the sun emerging from a cloud- and said, “I was trying to be romantic, asshole.”

“Oh, yes, of course, my dear. Please keep going. I am truly sorry to have interrupted you.” The scientist scooted even closer and gazed at him with earnest. Charlie grinned wider and again raised his hands to the keyboard.

The lyrics this time were smoother, softer, about skimming stones, about the color of the scientist’s eyes (the scientist had to pretend he didn’t feel his body’s reaction to Charlie smoothly rhyming “eyes” with “thighs”) and Charlie’s voice... The scientist couldn’t even form coherent thoughts, but the way Charlie channeled his high, rough voice into song was so mesmerizing. He could listen for hours.

When Charlie finally played the song out with a high C, the scientist cleared his throat and said in an awestruck tone, “Charlie, that was so beautiful.”

Charlie blushed, setting the Casio down on the floor. “I just wanted to, like. Show you I appreciate everything you do for me.”

The scientist took both of Charlie’s hands in his, squeezing firmly, looking into his eyes, attempting yet again to get lost in them. “Charlie, I love your song more than words can say, but the best gift you give me is your presence.”

Charlie’s jaw fell open a little. “It is?”

The scientist knew quite a bit about Charlie’s upbringing by now, and something wrenched in his chest when he wondered if that was the first time anyone had ever told him that. “Of course.”

Charlie grinned and impatiently clambered onto the scientist’s lap, taking the man’s face in his hands and kissing him slow and deep as he made little movements against him. It had been a mere twelve hours they’d been apart, but the scientist had still missed this, the feel of Charlie’s beard rubbing against his chin, Charlie’s adorably spastic movements, his wandering hands, the way his smaller body fit so perfectly atop his own.

So as they continued, as the scientist wound Charlie up and peppered kisses down his neck, all over his body, he made sure to whisper all this into his ear, praising Charlie and baring his soul to him like he knew Charlie had with his song.

**Author's Note:**

> first fic in a while, lmk how it is, also HOW DO CHARBITCH FIC WRITERS TAG HIS CHARACTER OMG


End file.
